Prosecutor: Man’s growling, biting attack like ‘out of a horror film’

NORRISTOWN >> A Norristown man growled with “animal-like noises” as he bit two women and attempted to sexually assault one of them during an incident prosecutors characterized as being “out of a horror film.”

“He just latched onto her leg like an animal. He was making disturbing animal-like noises. He was on her like trying to get a chunk out of her leg. He was growling and biting,” a 38-year-old Upper Gwynedd woman who witnessed the attack testified Thursday during the trial of Michael David Guinyard in Montgomery County Court. “He had this sick look in his face.”

The witness testified she saw Guinyard spitting up blood, screaming obscenities and speaking “crazy things about Jesus being gay” during the attack. The witness testified she struck Guinyard with a rake handle to get him to release his biting grip on the victim’s leg and that Guinyard then attempted to bite her fingers.

The victim of the leg bite testified she underwent various medical procedures for the wound to her flesh and had to undergo various tests for diseases. She testified she still bears a scar from the attack.

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Guinyard, 33, of the 600 block of East Basin Street, was convicted of a charge he attempted to sexually assault one woman and of charges of simple assault, indecent assault, recklessly endangering another person, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, terroristic threats and harassment in connection with his contact with a total of three women while he visited a home along the 600 block of Garfield Avenue in Upper Gwynedd on Aug. 30, 2013. Judge Gary S. Silow rendered the verdict during a non-jury trial.

“This is one of the most disturbing and sexually violent offenses that I have seen. The defendant bit two women and attempted to sexually assault one of the women. It was stated that he was growling and would not release one of the victim’s legs while he was latched on. This whole incident was right out of a horror film,” said Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Colgan.

Defense lawyer Ashley Marie Webb conceded to the simple assault and reckless endangerment charges against Guinyard but implied Guinyard was under the influence of drugs, specifically crack cocaine and PCP, and could not form specific intent to attempt sexual assault. Intent is a requirement for a conviction of attempted sexual assault.

“The drugs stifled his ability to understand what’s going on,” argued Webb, who also sought an acquittal of the indecent assault charge..

An apologetic Guinyard testified that while he was “appalled” by the descriptions of his behavior, which he could not recall, that he did not intend to sexually assault any of the women who were in the home that day.

“I’m a drug addict. Drugs had taken over. I lost my mind and I did a lot of dumb things,” Guinyard testified, adding he didn’t believe he was guilty of attempted sexual assault.

Prosecutors argued that under state law, voluntary intoxication is not a valid defense in a case of attempted sexual assault.

After convicting Guinyard of all charges, Judge Silow revoked Guinyard’s bail and ordered Guinyard to undergo drug and alcohol and sexual offender evaluations prior to sentencing.

Testimony revealed Guinyard was visiting the Upper Gwynedd home of female friends when he hugged one of the women and refused to let her go after she told him to stop. Guinyard then grabbed the woman inappropriately, tore at her clothing, pushed her to the ground, tried to pull his pants down while climbing on top of her and made sexually suggestive comments, according to testimony. During the altercation, Guinyard bit the woman on the hand. The woman testified she believed she would have been raped had a friend not come to her aid.

That friend, a second woman, testified that as she tried to help the first woman, Guinyard tore her clothes and grabbed and bit her leg, causing lacerations and a large, bleeding contusion. Guinyard released his grip only when a third woman struck him with the rake handle, according to testimony and the criminal complaint filed by Upper Gwynedd Police Officer Rachel Dipiano.

Guinyard, the witnesses testified, then stated, “I guess I’m going to have to do it myself,” and proceeded to expose his genitals and masturbate in view of some of the women.

Dipiano and Upper Gwynedd Detective Raymond Royds Jr. testified that Guinyard, about two weeks after the incident, wrote a three-page apology letter to the victims. In that letter, according to testimony, Guinyard apologized for disrespecting the women and creating a danger while in the home and begged for forgiveness.